In the early hours of Wednesday, Israeli forces launched a campaign of arrests targeting 16 Palestinian women in the Qalqilya governorate in the northern occupied West Bank. The raids, part of a series of operations, targeted Palestinian homes in the city of Qalqilya and the towns of Azzun, Kafr Thulth, and Saniriya.
Local sources reported that the majority of those arrested were wives of released or currently detained prisoners, as well as mothers of martyrs, in a clear targeting of Palestinian families. Two women were released after being interrogated in the field, while the others remain in detention without any specific reasons being given.
This brutal campaign is part of a daily pattern of raids and arrests carried out by the Israeli occupation in the West Bank, constituting a flagrant violation of Palestinians’ fundamental rights, including the right to life, personal security, and the sanctity of their homes.
These arrests are a clear violation of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions relating to the protection of civilians in armed conflict, which explicitly prohibit targeting civilians or using them as a tool to pressure their families.
Mass arrests or arbitrary detentions without a fair trial constitute a violation of international human rights agreements, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees everyone the right to a fair trial and the right to defend themselves.
In addition to arrests, the occupation continues to demolish Palestinian homes and structures, displace residents, and expand settlements in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, in clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which deems settlements illegal and an obstacle to peace.
Since the start of the aggression against the Gaza Strip on October 8, 2023, attacks in the West Bank have resulted in the killing of more than 1,100 Palestinians, the injury of approximately 11,700, and the arrest of some 22,000.
These violations remain part of an ongoing pattern of systematic crimes aimed at disrupting the daily lives of Palestinians, displacing them from their land, and undermining their fundamental and legitimate rights to freedom, security, and a dignified life.
